The dialogue in Martens' nicely reworked script is in-your-face succinct, in a cool, humorous contemporary way that cuts through the otherwise puzzling verbiage of other versions of the same story, giving characters more substance.

When a play opens with a line like, "Hi. I'm the Cheshire Cat," you know from the start that this is going to be a different kind of "Alice in Wonderland."

And fun is exactly what the Bishop Stang Drama Department actors will deliver this weekend in their whimsical production of Martens' "Alice in Wonderland."

Co-directors Lara-Beth Terry and Jessica Seseske chose this play because it's all about campy fun and lighthearted humor which is easily recognizable to audiences of all ages. "We wanted a show that families could watch and enjoy together," says Terry.

Alice was just playing a simple little game of cards with her sisters when she was distracted by a white rabbit running across her path and, of course, she felt compelled to follow it. Some kids might do the same, but most would stop before they got sucked down into a subterranean fairy tale. But, this is make-believe, right? So no one makes an emergency call to the local fire department and we, of course, follow her descent smack dab into the middle of a creative set designed by Daniel Seseske.

"Unlike the rest of the characters (who are fairy tale characters) in the show, Alice is a real girl. She is very intelligent and curious and I am excited to play her," says Cecilia Schneider.

The production's White Rabbit is played by Patrick Rogers who says, "Although we kept most of the stereotypical white rabbit character familiar to the audience, I try to keep a fun, new creative twist on the rabbit."

The White Rabbit is, after all, a frenetic little guy.

"Getting into character is generally an enduring task, but I strongly relate to my character because we are both anxious all the time and try to maintain order and balance in our lives," explains Rogers. A noble goal, indeed.

Peter Carboni is the laid-back, welcoming Cheshire Cat. "To make the character real I speak as if I am talking to the audience as well as to the other characters on stage to help my character seem more mystical. I act as if my head is in the clouds and I know more about what's going on than even the Queen of Hearts," he says. More knowledgeable than the Queen of Hearts? He's got his work cut out for him.

Abigail Wheeler plays the villainous Queen. "She is very hungry for power and control and receives underserved credit and respect. In this production we bring the fairy tale characters to life by being overly animated, larger than life and absolutely ridiculous," says Wheeler. Silly is good.

The characters of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum have become the Tweedles in this piece, played by Jessica Walther and Rachel Carlowicz. "We didn't take the classic route with the Tweedles," says co-director Terry. "They have been adapted into the nerdiest young boys, which makes it really different and funny for audiences and brings these two characters to life." Little nerds can actually be a charming swap for Carroll's original, annoying rotund duo.

Unfortunately, other characters couldn't get a decent signal out of the rabbit hole and were, therefore, unavailable for comment.